Sandpaper.



w. n. SMITH.- SANDPAPER.

APPLICATION-FILED SEPT. 30' 19H.

, 'Patnted July 13, 1915 w j si ii -16E.

WALTON DUANE SMITH, OF PROPHETSTOWN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR F TWO-THIRDS TO CHARLES E. EMERY AND ONE-THIRD TO 'I'LL N Is.

Application filed September 3 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVaL'rov D. soirrrr, a citizen of the United States, resid ng at ,Prophetstown, in the county of \Vh1tes1de and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Sandpaper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to sandpaper structures, and its object is to prov1de-sandpaper in a form permitting its ready and convenient use, and the utilization of'practically the entire surface of the sandpaper until it shall become too much worn for further use.

It is customary in the use of sandpaper either to tear the sheets into small p eces, or in the case of larger work to fold the sheet upon itself. This procedure is not only inconvenient, but very wasteful of sandpaper, for not only is it very diflicult to so fold the sandpaper as to work into angular places and square corners, but the paper cannot be readily folded so as to be conveniently grasped. y

In accordance with the present invention one or more sheets of sandpaper of suitable size are united into trifoliate form with the leaves of suitable width for ready grasping by the human hand, whereby with one leaf grasped by the hand the other two leaves are readily applied to the surface to-be sandpapered, so as to present a relatively broad engagement of the sandpaper with the surface being treated. Any one of the three leaves may be used as a handle with those surfaces of the other leaves remote from the leaf constituting the handle or hand-hold spread out into conformity with the surface against which the sandpaper is placed.

By employing substantially rectangular pieces of sandpaper the device may be finished with straight edges and square or right-angular corners, whereby it is easy to sandpaper a surfaceinto corners and by" using the edge portion of one leaf'only with the other two leaves folded together" as a handhold it isquite easy to sandpaper constricted places which would be difiicult to reach with sandpaper as usually employed. Moreover, the securing together of sandpaper in two thicknesses stiffcns the sandpaper so that it is readily and efiiciently applied in places where a single sheet of sandpaper ,would be inefficient The present lnvention provides a sandpa- Specification of Letters Patent.

SIMON KEISER, BOTH OF PROPHETSTOWN,

SANDPAPER.

Patented July 13, 1915.

0, 1914. Serial No. 864,284.

per structure whereby the entire active surface of the sandpaper is available until it is worn out, so that the device of the present invention is far more economical than sandpaper as usually provided in relatively large sheets.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further under standing that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with I the showing of the drawings, but may be; changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sandpaper structure of the pres ent invention in position for sandpapering broad surfaces. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the structure of Fig. 1 in a normal position, and drawn on an exaggerated scale. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views on a smaller scale showing different manners of making the structure.

Referring .to the drawings there is shown a trifoliate sandpaper structure 1 made up of three similar leaves 2, 3, at, each of rectangular form, and all branching from a common center line. In one form. of the invention the three leaves are made up of three sheets 5 of sandpaper, each sheet representing a surface equal to the sum of the corresponding surfaces of two of the leaves of the structure. The sheets'are cemented, together back to back, the cement layer indicated at 6 extending from the outer edges 9 of the cemented sheets toward the center line of the structure. By leaving the sheets close to the center line or point of junction of the leaves free from adhesive, the leaves are more flexible where joined than they would otherwise be, and hence are ,more easily made to conform to the surfaces to which the sandpaper is applied.

The sandpaper structure or device may be made of three sheets cemented together back to back to form a trifoliate structure, this arrangement being best shown in Fig. 2. The same result may be brought about by using two sheets 5 of sandpaper as shown in Fig. 8, in which case each sheet is folded upon itself at two-thirds the distance from one edge, the fold being indicated at 7 in Fig. 3. It is also possible to form the sandpapering device of a single sheet 5" as shown in Fig. t where the sheet is twice folded upon itself, as indicated at 7. ln each instance, however, the device is trifoliate.

There are other ways of forming the structure which will readily suggest themselves, but the in'iportant feature is that the sandpaper structure shall be trifoliate and sutliciently flexible at the junction line of the leaves to readily conform to the surfaces to be sandpapered. Moreover, in order that the entire surface of the structure may be available for use with all of the leaves useful as handholds, the trifoliate arrangement is needful and all the exposed surfaces are sanded.

\Vhilc the term sandpaper has been used throughout this description, it will be understood that it is used in the broader sense as covering a flexible base like paper or cloth having a surface carrying grit of any desired degree of evenness, whether such grit be sand, or emery, or carborimdum, or the like. i

The size of the sandpaper structure will depend upon the use to which it is to be put. For the coarser work the device may approach in size ordinary sheets of sand paper, while for finer and certain special work the structure may be made quite small and the sandpaper have its abrading surface made up of very fine grit, but in all cases the trifoliate form is followed.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A sandpaper structure comprising a base of flexible material with the exposed surface covered with a suitable grit, said structure being divided into a plurality of leaves exceeding two in number and each at one edge joining the like edges of the others.

A sandpaper structure comprising a plurality of grit-covered leaves exceeding two in number and connected together along a common line or axis, said leaves being otherwise separated.

3. A sandpaper structure comprising a plurality of flexible leaves having ,an active abrasive surface, the leaves exceeding two in number, and all connected together along a common line or axis in radial relation thereto.

4. A sandpapering device comprising sheets of sandpaper cemented together back to back into trifoliate form with the cement extending from the outer edges of each leaf toward but stopping short of the center or junction line of the leaves. I

5. A sandpapering device of trifoliatc form having all the exposed surfaces covered with abrasive material with the leaves in radial relation to a common line or axis of junction, whereby each leaf provides a handhold projecting from the junction line of the other two leaves, thereby permitting the utilization at the same time of the united areas of the other two leaves on the side thereof remote from the handhold.

6. A sandpapering device of trifoliate form with the exposed surfaces covered with abrasive material and the leaves in radial relation to a common line or axis of junction, said leaves immediately adjacent to saidjunction line being more flexible than the main bodies of the leaves, whereby each leaf provides a handheld projecting from the junction line of the other two leaves thus permitting the utilization at the same time of the united areas of the other two leaves on the side thereof remote from the handhold.

In testimony, that 1 claim the foregoing as mv own, I have hereto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VALTON DUANE SMITH.

ll itiiesses \ViLLiAM F. Jonxsox, Evnluc'r'r L. SIIOLES. 

